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2012 Spring Met Season


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Why not use the score composed (mostly) by Johann Strauss--"Aschenbroedel"?

(Aschenbroedel is the German name for Cinderella.)

I was not aware there was another score for "Cinderella"! Hmm...interesting.

It was choreographed not too long ago by Renato Zanella for the Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (and is available on DVD). ABT would no doubt want it re-choreographed if they were to produce it, and it is hard to imagine Alexei Ratmansky choreographing to Strauss rather than Prokoviev, so this is very unlikely to happen. That won't stop me from hoping for it...

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....It was choreographed not too long ago by Renato Zanella for the Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (and is available on DVD). ABT would no doubt want it re-choreographed if they were to produce it, and it is hard to imagine Alexei Ratmansky choreographing to Strauss rather than Prokoviev, so this is very unlikely to happen. That won't stop me from hoping for it...

The Strauss 'Aschenbroedel' was also used by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba for a version that toured City Center/NYC in the late 1990s (Alihaydee Carreno and Lorena Feijoo alternated as Cinderella, if memory serves). I only remember a very funny scene during the dancing lesson in Act I when Cinderella performs a traveling arabesque across the stage...dragging along a piano, to which she had been tied by the ugly stepsisters!

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Hmm, interesting!!

An interview with Vishneva that came out last week seems to have her saying that she "plans to dance Tatiana in 'Onegin' next year," at least that's what Google Translate suggests. (Any Russian speakers can verify?)

I can only hope that this means she'll be doing it at ABT next year, and hopefully with Gomes! If the two of them get to dance "Onegin" and maybe "Manon" together next year, I might die of happiness (after seeing them, of course. :wink: )!

Diana confirmed, in the contact section of her website, that she will dance "Tatiana" in Onegin with ABT next year. She is also hoping for Marcelo. :clapping:

Now, if ABT will revive La Fille... next season,it will make me (and probably AM-NYT) very ,very happy :wink:

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Bright Stream

La Bayadere

Onegin

Firebird mixed reps

Corsaire

Giselle

Swan Lake

R&J

The list is not my wish list, the info came from current & future company members. I expect to see Vishneva/Gomes in Onegin and pairing of O/V. So the only room left for wish list is the Firebird mixed reps program and castings. FB could be paired with a longer ballet like the Dream or Ballet Imperial or 2 shorter ones like T&V, Dumbarton, 13 Diversions or both with rotation of different pieces with FB as the closing ballet or may be an all Stravinsky program....

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The Tatianas last time around were Kent, Dvorovenko, Jaffe, and Ferri...that leaves one more potential spot for another Tatiana (after Kent, Dvorovenko, and Vishneva). Wonder who it could be...I assume Reid Anderson already made his choices if Vishneva is saying she will be cast. Looking at the cast lists from before the men are wide open (except Corella and Beloserkovsky did Lensky--though it's a crapshoot whether either of them would be cast again, esp. Beloserkovsky) and Riccetto and Reyes did Olga. It's interesting to think about this one as Anderson gets to choose, so we may be in for some unexpected choices!

I hope Part gets cast as the Firebird. The wingspan alone would be to die for.

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Bright Stream

La Bayadere

Onegin

Firebird mixed reps

Corsaire

Giselle

Swan Lake

R&J

The list is not my wish list, the info came from current & future company members. I expect to see Vishneva/Gomes in Onegin and pairing of O/V. So the only room left for wish list is the Firebird mixed reps program and castings. FB could be paired with a longer ballet like the Dream or Ballet Imperial or 2 shorter ones like T&V, Dumbarton, 13 Diversions or both with rotation of different pieces with FB as the closing ballet or may be an all Stravinsky program....

Thanks for clarifying your initial post. Although i'm glad that Onegin is coming back, I'm a bit disappointed that La Fille...is not in the list.

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[. Looking at the cast lists from before the men are wide open (except Corella and Beloserkovsky did Lensky--though it's a crapshoot whether either of them would be cast again, esp. Beloserkovsky) and Riccetto and Reyes did Olga. It's interesting to think about this one as Anderson gets to choose, so we may be in for some unexpected choices!

If i am not mistaken, Marcelo did Onegin for 1 performance the last time around . David would be interesting as Onegin although he is more of a Lensky type. E Tamm /A Hammoudi would be possible Lenskys. Olga? -- Sarah/isabella,h seo ? Any suggestions?

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[. Looking at the cast lists from before the men are wide open (except Corella and Beloserkovsky did Lensky--though it's a crapshoot whether either of them would be cast again, esp. Beloserkovsky) and Riccetto and Reyes did Olga. It's interesting to think about this one as Anderson gets to choose, so we may be in for some unexpected choices!

If i am not mistaken, Marcelo did Onegin for 1 performance the last time around . David would be interesting as Onegin although he is more of a Lensky type. E Tamm /A Hammoudi would be possible Lenskys. Olga? -- Sarah/isabella,h seo ? Any suggestions?

R. Bolle performed it at La Scala, so it is in his repertoire.

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Semionova and Cojocaru (and Kobborg) also have it in their reps, if any of them will be back. If youtube clips are to be believed, Cojocaru/Kobborg are superb.

I think Hallberg would make a good Lensky...that adagio solo would fit him beautifully. I don't see Herrera or Murphy getting cast as either Tatiana or Olga. Part would temperamentally fit Tatiana, but could only be partnered with Bolle most likely.

Caroline Duprot and Gemma Bond both danced Olga with the Royal.

edit: Yes bingham you are right about Marcelo...I was looking at the original press release of casting, and I think he ended up substituting at the last minute.

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if any of them will be back. If youtube clips are to be believed, Cojocaru/Kobborg are superb.

I don't know if anybody can "be back for Onegin": it seems that Reid Anderson politic is to have only Stuttgart dancers as guests in Onegin (in La Scala we had Eichwald dancing with Bolle... not shows worth to remember, IMO).

Cojocaru/Kobborg clips on youtube were filmed in June 2004, seven years and 6 shows ago so you cannot really believe to them: Cojocaru and Kobborg were great, but they are even better now! :clapping: They were fantastic in October in London and also in June in Antwerp. Their guesting with Royal Ballet of Flanders seems to be against "Onegin guesting rules": I don't know if it was because it was a benefit show for RBF (they danced for free) or just a kind concession for really deserved "artistic merits"....anyway a fantastic night for Antwerp ballet audience (and additional people coming from abroad :wink: )!

Cojocaru/Kobborg and Gomes as Onegin would be good reason to travel to NYC from Europe! (I should start saving money from now :D )

Caroline Duprot and Gemma Bond both danced Olga with the Royal.

I really loved Duprot Olga, probably she is still my favorite

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Bright Stream

La Bayadere

Onegin

Firebird mixed reps

Corsaire

Giselle

Swan Lake

R&J

The list is not my wish list, the info came from current & future company members. I expect to see Vishneva/Gomes in Onegin and pairing of O/V. So the only room left for wish list is the Firebird mixed reps program and castings. FB could be paired with a longer ballet like the Dream or Ballet Imperial or 2 shorter ones like T&V, Dumbarton, 13 Diversions or both with rotation of different pieces with FB as the closing ballet or may be an all Stravinsky program....

Thanks for clarifying your initial post. Although i'm glad that Onegin is coming back, I'm a bit disappointed that La Fille...is not in the list.

I would love to see La Fille again too.

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The latest version of ABT's Met release:

NEW PRODUCTION OF JOHN CRANKO’S ONEGIN AND

NEW YORK PREMIERE OF FIREBIRD BY ALEXEI RATMANSKY

TO HIGHLIGHT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S

2012 SPRING SEASON AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

MAY 14-JULY 7, 2012

ETHAN STIEFEL TO GIVE FINAL PERFORMANCE ON JULY 7

BOX OFFICE OPENS SUNDAY, APRIL 1

American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 season at the Metropolitan Opera House,

May 14-July 7, will be highlighted by a new production of John Cranko’s Onegin,

with scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto, and the New York Premiere of Alexei

Ratmansky’s Firebird. Tickets for ABT’s Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera

House go on sale at the box office on Sunday, April 1 at Noon.

Principal Dancers for the 2012 Metropolitan Opera House season include Maxim

Beloserkovsky, Roberto Bolle, Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo, Irina Dvorovenko,

Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Natalia

Osipova, Veronika Part, Xiomara Reyes, Cory Stearns, Ethan Stiefel and Diana

Vishneva.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern

Trust is the Leading Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American

Ballet Theatre. MasterCard is the official credit card of American Ballet Theatre. ABT

is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the

New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City Department

of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Spring season opens with a Gala Performance

featuring ABT’s Principal Dancers on Monday, May 14 at 6:30 P.M. For information on

ABT’s Spring Gala, please call the Special Events Office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3311.

The 2012 Spring Gala is sponsored by Graff and Valentino.

Guest Artists

Guest Artists for the 2012 Spring season include Alina Cojocaru and Johan

Kobborg, principal dancers with The Royal Ballet; Denis Matvienko, former principal

dancer with Mariinsky Ballet and current artistic director of Kiev Ballet; Vadim

Muntagirov, principal dancer with English National Ballet; Polina Semionova, principal

dancer with Berlin State Ballet; and Ivan Vasiliev, principal dancer with Mikhailovsky

Ballet.

For American Ballet Theatre, Cojocaru will perform the title role in Giselle

opposite Angel Corella as Albrecht, on Thursday, May 17; Nikiya in La Bayadère

opposite Ivan Vasiliev as Solor, on Thursday, May 24; and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet

opposite Johan Kobborg as Romeo, on Wednesday evening, June 20. Kobborg will also

appear as the Ballet Dancer in The Bright Stream on Thursday, May 31 and the matinee

on Saturday, June 2, and as Conrad in Le Corsaire opposite Natalia Osipova as Medora,

on Thursday, July 5. Matvienko will perform the role of Solor in La Bayadère opposite

Gillian Murphy as Nikiya, at the matinee on Saturday, May 26. Muntagirov will dance

Solor opposite Hee Seo as Nikiya, on Wednesday evening, May 23, as well as Prince

Siegfried in Swan Lake opposite Irina Dvorovenko as Odette/Odile, at the matinee on

Saturday, June 30. Semionova will perform Myrta in Giselle on Saturday evening,

May 19; Nikiya in La Bayadère opposite David Hallberg as Solor, on Saturday evening,

May 26; and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake opposite Hallberg as Prince Siegfried, on

Tuesday, June 26 and Friday, June 29. In addition to La Bayadère, Vasiliev will appear

as Pyotr in The Bright Stream on Thursday, May 31 and the matinee on Saturday, June

2, and as Ali, the Slave, in Le Corsaire on Thursday, July 5 and the matinee on Saturday,

July 7.

All-New Production of John Cranko’s Onegin

American Ballet Theatre will premiere a new production of John Cranko’s

Onegin, with sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by James F. Ingalls, on

Monday, June 4, 2012 with Diana Vishneva as Tatiana, Marcelo Gomes as Eugene

Onegin, Natalia Osipova as Olga, Jared Matthews as Lensky and Gennadi Saveliev as

Prince Gremin.

Set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, arranged and orchestrated by Kurt-

Heinz Stolze, Onegin is based on the poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin.

John Cranko’s Onegin received its World Premiere on April 13, 1965 by the Stuttgart

Ballet in Stuttgart, Germany. The ballet received its Company Premiere by American

Ballet Theatre on June 1, 2001 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. The new

production was premiered by the National Ballet of Canada on June 19, 2010 at the Four

Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada. Staged for ABT by Reid

Anderson and Jane Bourne, Onegin will be given eight performances June 4 through 9.

Onegin was last performed by ABT in 2002.

New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird

The New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird will take place on

Monday evening, June 11 with Natalia Osipova dancing the title role. This all-new

production of the Igor Stravinsky classic Firebird, with original choreography by Alexei

Ratmansky, will receive its World Premiere on March 29, 2012 at Segerstrom Center for

the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. Firebird will be given eight performances at the

Metropolitan Opera House, June 11 through 13 and June 21 through 23.

Based on the Russian fairy tale, the one-act ballet will feature scenery by Simon

Pastukh, costumes by Galina Solovyeva, lighting by Brad Fields and projections by

Wendall K. Harrington. Ratmansky’s choreography for Firebird will utilize the entire

original 1910 Stravinsky score.

Ratmansky’s Firebird is American Ballet Theatre’s fourth production of the

ballet. Originally choreographed by Michel Fokine to Stravinsky’s first score for ballet,

The Firebird received its world premiere by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the

Théâtre National de l’Opéra in Paris on June 25, 1910. It first entered the repertory of

Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on October 24, 1945 with

choreography by Adolph Bolm and scenery and costumes by Marc Chagall. A second

production, with choreography by Michel Fokine and staging by Christopher Newton,

was premiered by ABT in 1977 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles,

California. ABT gave the Revival Premiere of The Firebird, with choreography by

Michel Fokine, produced by Nicholas Beriozoff, on January 24, 1992 at the Palacio de

Bellas Artes in Mexico City.

Repertory Programs

Sharing the program with Firebird will be Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen

Diversions and George Balanchine’s Apollo beginning Monday evening, June 11. Sir

Frederick Ashton’s The Dream will have four performances along with Firebird from

Thursday evening, June 21 through Saturday evening, June 23.

Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen Diversions is set to music by Benjamin

Britten and features costumes by Bob Crowley and lighting by Brad Fields. The ballet,

Wheeldon’s first work for American Ballet Theatre, was given its World Premiere at the

Metropolitan Opera House on May 24, 2011.

David Hallberg will lead the season’s first performance of George Balanchine’s

Apollo on June 11. On Wednesday, June 13, Marcelo Gomes will make his debut as

Apollo at the matinee and Maxim Beloserkovsky will dance the title role at the evening

performance. Set to music by Igor Stravinsky, Apollo was given its world premiere

by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt, Paris on June 12,

1928 with Serge Lifar as Apollo. The ballet received its first American performance by

American Ballet at The Metropolitan Opera House, New York on April 27, 1937. Apollo

was first performed by American Ballet Theatre on April 25, 1943 at the Metropolitan

Opera House in New York with André Eglevsky as Apollo, Vera Zorina as Terpsichore,

Nora Kaye as Polyhymnia, and Rosella Hightower as Calliope. Apollo was last

performed by ABT in 2006.

A 20th Anniversary Salute to ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie will take

place on Tuesday, June 12 at 7:30 P. M. The program will include Thirteen Diversions,

Firebird and the pas de deux from James Kudelka’s Cruel World, set to music by Peter

Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and danced by Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes. The evening will

feature a special pièce d’occasion choreographed by Gomes and performed by Paloma

Herrera, Veronika Part and Xiomara Reyes.

Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream will be given its first performance of the

season on Thursday, June 21 led by Xiomara Reyes as Titania, Cory Stearns as Oberon

and Herman Cornejo as Puck. A ballet in one act, The Dream is adapted from William

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and set to music by Felix Mendelssohn. The

ballet features sets and costumes by David Walker and lighting by John B. Read.

The Dream received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House,

Covent Garden, London on April 2, 1964 danced by Antoinette Sibley (Titania), Anthony

Dowell (Oberon), Keith Martin (Puck), Alexander Grant (Bottom), Carole Needham

(Helena), Vergie Derman (Hermia), David Drew (Demetrius) and Derek Rencher

(Lysander).

The Dream received its United States premiere by The Royal Ballet at the

Metropolitan Opera House, New York on April 30, 1965, danced by the same cast. The

ballet was given its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan

Opera House, New York on May 24, 2002 danced by Alessandra Ferri (Titania), Ethan

Stiefel (Oberon) and Herman Cornejo (Puck).

Full-length Ballets

American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House

will feature an additional six full-length ballets during the eight-week engagement.

Following the season’s Opening Night, the Company will begin the first of eight

performances of Giselle on Tuesday, May 15 at 7:30pm with Julie Kent in the title role

dancing opposite Marcelo Gomes as Albrecht. Set to music by Adolphe Adam and

orchestrated by John Lanchbery, Giselle is staged by Kevin McKenzie with choreography

after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa. The two-act ballet features scenery by

Gianni Quaranta and costumes by Anna Anni. This production, with scenery by

Quaranta and costumes by Anni, was created for the film Dancers in 1987.

The first of eight performances of Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère will take

place on Tuesday evening, May 22. Set to the music of Ludwig Minkus and arranged by

John Lanchbery, La Bayadère features scenery by PierLuigi Samaritani, costumes by

Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by Toshiro Ogawa. Conceived and directed by

Makarova after Marius Petipa, La Bayadère was given its World Premiere by ABT in

1980. The season’s first performance of La Bayadère will feature Veronika Part as

Nikiya, Marcelo Gomes as Solor and Gillian Murphy as Gamzatti. Misty Copeland will

debut as Gamzatti on Thursday, May 24.

Last season’s Company Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream

will be given seven performances beginning Tuesday, May 29 with Paloma Herrera,

Marcelo Gomes, Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg in the leading roles. Set to Dmitri

Shostakovich’s The Bright Stream, the ballet features sets by Ilya Utkin, costumes by

Elena Markovskaya and lighting by Brad Fields. The libretto, by Adrian Piotrovsky

and Fyodor Lopukhov, tells the story of the members of a Russian farm collective in the

1930’s and their humorous interactions with a group of visiting performers during the

harvest festival. Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream received its World Premiere by the

Bolshoi Ballet on April 18, 2003 with sets and costumes by Boris Messerer. The original

production of The Bright Stream, with choreography by Lopukhov, was premiered on

April 4, 1935 by the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater at the Maly Theatre in Leningrad.

The Bright Stream received its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on

January 21, 2011 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Tatiana Ratmansky assisted Mr. Ratmansky in staging the ballet for ABT.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet will be given eight performances

beginning Thursday evening, June 14 with Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo in the

title roles. Set to the score by Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet features scenery and

costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas Skelton. The ballet received

its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet in London on February 9, 1965 and was given its

ABT Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 22, 1985.

Eight performances of Swan Lake, choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after

Marius Petipa, will be given beginning Monday, June 25 with Veronika Part and Cory

Stearns leading the opening night cast. Swan Lake is set to the score by Peter Ilyitch

Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane

Schuler. Soloists Isabella Boylston and Daniil Simkin will debut in the leading roles of

Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried at the Wednesday, June 27 matinee performance.

This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for

the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 season will conclude with seven performances

of Le Corsaire beginning Tuesday evening, July 2. With choreography by Konstantin

Sergeyev after Marius Petipa, and staging by Anna-Marie Holmes after Petipa and

Sergeyev, Le Corsaire features music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes,

Riccardo Drigo and Prince Oldenbourg. Based on the Lord Byron poem “The Corsair”

(1814), the ballet has sets and costumes by Irina Tibilova with additional costume designs

by Robert Perdziola. Gillian Murphy, Marcelo Gomes, Stella Abrera, Sascha Radetsky,

Ethan Stiefel and Craig Salstein will lead the season’s first performance of Le Corsaire.

Veronika Part will debut in the role of Medora and Joseph Phillips will dance

Birbanto for the first time at the matinee on Wednesday, July 4. Arron Scott will debut

as Birbanto on Thursday, July 5 and Herman Cornejo will dance the role of Conrad for

the first time on Friday, July 6. On Saturday evening, July 7, Ethan Stiefel will give his

final performance with American Ballet Theatre in the role of Ali, the Slave.

ABTKIDS

ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre’s annual one-hour introduction to ballet, is

scheduled for Saturday morning, May 19 at 11:30 A.M. All tickets for ABTKids are $25.

ABTKids Workshop Series

ABTKids Workshop Series, one-hour activity-based programs led by ABT

Teaching Artists, are available to ABTKids ticket holders on Saturday, May 19

(9:30 A.M.), and to matinee ticket holders Saturday, June 2 (11:00 A.M.) and

Saturday, June 23 (11:00 A.M). Saturday workshops will be held in the rehearsal studios

of the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets to the workshops are $20 per person. For

tickets and more information on ABTKids Workshop series, please call 212-419-4321.

Single tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Spring Season at the

Metropolitan Opera House, on sale beginning Sunday, April 1 at Noon, are available at

the Met box office, by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at ABT’s website www.abt.org.

The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in

New York City.

Onegin is generously supported through an endowed gift from Ruth and Harold Newman.

Additional support has generously been provided by Lillian E. Kraemer.

The World Premiere of Firebird is co-commissioned by American Ballet Theatre

and Dutch National Ballet. David H. Koch is the Lead Underwriter of Firebird. Firebird

is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New

Works Fund. Linda Allard is the Leading Sponsor of costumes for Firebird. Additional

costume underwriting support has been provided by Caroline Hyman. ABT gratefully

acknowledges the generous support of Leading Sponsors: The Susan and Leonard Feinstein

Foundation and Charlotte and Macdonald Mathey. Additional support has generously

been provided by Brian and Darlene Heidtke, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, Andrew

J. Martin-Weber, James M. and Nora C. Orphanides, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Support for costume and set design has generously been provided by Dr. Coco Lazaroff.

Firebird has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the

Arts.

Thirteen Diversions is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and

Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Additional support has been provided by the Rockefeller

Brothers Fund. This ballet is made possible with public funds from the New York State

Council on the Arts, a State Agency.

Apollo is generously supported through an endowed gift from Monica, Stefano, Cosima, and

Tassilo Corsi.

Kevin McKenzie’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is generously underwritten by the Joseph

A. Wilson Challenge Grant.

The Dream is presented in loving memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr. by his family.

The Dream has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the

Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

American Ballet Theatre's performances of Giselle are generously supported through an

endowed gift from Sharon Patrick. ABT gratefully acknowledges Linda Allard as the

Leading Costume Sponsor of Giselle.

La Bayadère is generously sponsored by an endowed gift from Drs. Philip and Marjorie

Gerdine. La Bayadère presented in loving memory of Mrs. Caroline Newhouse. A generous

grant from the Rockefeller Foundation has made this production possible. Major funding

for this production has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Bright Stream is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and

Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. This production has been made possible with public

funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has generously been

provided by Leila and Mickey Straus and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

American Ballet Theatre's performances of Romeo and Juliet are generously underwritten

through an endowed gift from Ali and Monica Wambold.

Swan Lake has been generously underwritten by R. Chemers Neustein. Costumes for Swan

Lake are generously sponsored by the Ellen Everett Kimiatek Costume Preservation Trust.

American Ballet Theatre's performances of Le Corsaire are generously underwritten

through an endowed gift from Irene and Fred Shen.

The ABTKids performance is generously supported through an endowed gift from Thomas

and Lydia West, in loving memory of Vivian B. West.

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CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR FIFTH AND SIXTH WEEKS OF

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2012 SPRING SEASON

AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

Natalia Osipova to Lead

New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird,

Monday, June 11 at 7:30 PM

20th Anniversary Salute to Kevin McKenzie

Scheduled for Tuesday, June 12 at 7:30 PM

Casting for the fifth and sixth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The fifth week will begin with four evenings of repertory programming. Maria Riccetto, Jared Matthews, Isabella Boylston, Cory Stearns, Stella Abrera, Eric Tamm, Christine Shevchenko and Blaine Hoven will lead the season’s first performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen Diversions on Monday, June 11. Set to Benjamin Britten’s Diversions on a Theme, with costumes by Bob Crowley and lighting by Brad Fields, Thirteen Diversions received its World Premiere by ABT on May 24, 2011 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Thirteen Diversions is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. This ballet is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.

David Hallberg will lead the season’s first performance of George Balanchine’s Apollo on June 11, with Veronika Part as Terpsichore, Stella Abrera as Calliope and Hee Seo in her debut as Polyhymnia. The matinee on Wednesday, June 13 will include debuts by Marcelo Gomes as Apollo and Devon Teuscher as Polyhymnia, with Polina Semionova as Terpsichore, dancing the role for the first time with ABT. The evening performance on Wednesday, June 13 will be led by Maxim Beloserkovsky as Apollo, Paloma Herrera as Terpsichore, Maria Riccetto as Calliope and Christine Shevchenko in her debut as Polyhymnia. Set to music by Igor Stravinsky, Apollo was given its world premiere by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the

Theatre Sarah Bernhardt, Paris on June 12, 1928 with Serge Lifar as Apollo. The ballet received its first American performance by American Ballet at The Metropolitan Opera House, New York on April 27, 1937. Apollo was first performed by American Ballet Theatre on April 25, 1943 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. The ballet was last performed by ABT in 2006. Apollo is generously supported through an endowed gift from Monica, Stefano, Cosima and Tassilo Corsi.

The New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird will take place on June 11 with Natalia Osipova as Firebird, Marcelo Gomes as Ivan, Simone Messmer as the Maiden and David Hallberg as Kaschei. Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Maria Riccetto and Roman Zhurbin will lead the performance on Tuesday, June 12. The matinee on Wednesday, June 13, will feature Isabella Boylston as Firebird, Alexandre Hammoudi as Ivan, Kristi Boone as the Maiden and Cory Stearns in his debut as Kaschei. Set to music by Igor Stravinsky, with sets by Simon Pastukh, costumes by Galina Solovyeva, lighting by Brad Fields and projections by Wendall K. Harrington, Ratmansky’s Firebird received its World Premiere on March 29, 2012 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. The World Premiere of Firebird is co-commissioned by American Ballet Theatre and Dutch National Ballet. David H. Koch is the Lead Underwriter of Firebird. Firebird is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Linda Allard is the Leading Sponsor of costumes for Firebird. Additional costume underwriting support has been provided by Caroline Hyman. ABT gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Leading Sponsors: The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation and Charlotte and Macdonald Mathey. Additional support has generously been provided by The Sol and Margaret Berger Foundation, Brian and Darlene Heidtke, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, Jill L. Leinbach, Andrew J. Martin-Weber, James M. and Nora C. Orphanides, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Support for costume and set design has generously been provided by Dr. Coco Lazaroff. Firebird has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

A 20th Anniversary Salute to ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie is scheduled for Tuesday, June 12. The program will include Thirteen Diversions, Firebird and the pas de deux from James Kudelka’s Cruel World, set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and danced by Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes. The evening will also feature the World Premiere of Triptych, a pièce

d’occasion choreographed by Gomes in honor of Kevin McKenzie. Set to Passacaglia and Sarabande with Variations in G minor after Handel by Johan Halvorsen, Triptych will be performed by Paloma Herrera, Veronika Part and Xiomara Reyes. Kevin McKenzie’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is generously underwritten by the Joseph A. Wilson Challenge Grant.

Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo will lead the first of eight performances of Romeo and Juliet on Thursday, June 14. At the matinee on Saturday, June 16, Joseph Phillips will debut as Mercutio and Joseph Gorak will debut as Benvolio, alongside Gillian Murphy as Juliet and Cory Stearns as Romeo. At the matinee on Wednesday, June 20, Alexandre Hammoudi will dance the role of Romeo for the first time, opposite Hee Seo as Juliet. At the evening performance on Wednesday, June 20, Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg will make their ABT debuts in the title roles. Set to a score by Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet features scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas Skelton. The ballet received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet in London on February 9, 1965 and was given its ABT Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 22, 1985. American Ballet Theatre's performances of Romeo and Juliet are generously underwritten through an endowed gift from Ali and Monica Wambold.

The sixth week will be rounded out by four performances of The Dream and Firebird. Xiomara Reyes, Cory Stearns and Herman Cornejo will lead the first performance of The Dream on Thursday, June 21. Choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, The Dream is a ballet in one act adapted from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and set to music by Felix Mendelssohn. The ballet features sets and costumes by David Walker and lighting by John B. Read. The Dream received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on April 2, 1964 danced by Antoinette Sibley (Titania), Anthony

Dowell (Oberon) and Keith Martin (Puck). The ballet was given its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on May 24, 2002 danced by Alessandra Ferri (Titania), Ethan Stiefel (Oberon) and Herman Cornejo (Puck). The Dream is presented in loving memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr. by his family. The Dream has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. MasterCard is the Official Card of American Ballet Theatre. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $20, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th Streets in New York City. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.

Complete casting follows:

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

Metropolitan Opera House - Spring, 2012

FIFTH WEEK

Mon. Eve., June 11, 7:30 P.M. THIRTEEN DIVERSIONS – Riccetto, Matthews, Boylston, Stearns,

Abrera, Tamm, Shevchenko, Hoven

APOLLO – Hallberg, Part, Abrera, Seo*

FIREBIRD (NEW YORK PREMIERE) – Osipova, Gomes,

Messmer, Hallberg

Tues. Eve., June 12, 7:30 P.M. TRIPTYCH (WORLD PREMERE) – Herrera, Part, Reyes

CRUEL WORLD Pas de Deux – Kent, Gomes*

THIRTEEN DIVERSIONS – Lane, Salstein++, Seo, Davis++,

Murphy, Hallberg, Messmer, Hammoudi

FIREBIRD – Copeland++, Cornejo++, Riccetto++, Zhurbin++

Wed. Mat., June 13, 2 P.M. THIRTEEN DIVERSIONS – Riccetto, Matthews, Copeland++,

Davis, Abrera, Tamm, Shevchenko, Hoven

APOLLO – Gomes*, Semionova+, Hamrick, Teuscher*

FIREBIRD – Boylston++, Hammoudi++, Boone++, Stearns*

Wed. Eve., June 13, 7:30 P.M. THIRTEEN DIVERSIONS – Lane, Salstein, Seo, Davis, Boone++,

Forster++, Teuscher++, Mantei++

APOLLO – Beloserkovsky, Herrera, Riccetto, Shevchenko*

FIREBIRD – Osipova, Gomes, Messmer, Hallberg

Thurs. Eve., June 14, 7:30 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Reyes, Cornejo, Salstein

Fri. Eve., June 15, 7:30 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Vishneva, Gomes, Scott

Sat. Mat., June 16, 2 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Murphy, Stearns, Phillips*

Sat. Eve., June 16, 8 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Kent, Bolle, Matthews

SIXTH WEEK

Mon. Eve., June 18, 7:30 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Osipova, Hallberg, Cornejo

Tues. Eve., June 19, 7:30 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Herrera, Gomes, Matthews

Wed. Mat., June 20, 2 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Seo, Hammoudi*, Scott

Wed. Eve., June 20, 7:30 P.M. ROMEO AND JULIET – Cojocaru+, Kobborg+, Saslstein

Thurs. Eve., June 21, 7:30 P.M. THE DREAM – Reyes, Stearns, Cornejo

FIREBIRD – Osipova, Gomes, Messmer, Hallberg

Fri. Eve., June 22, 7:30 P.M. THE DREAM – Kent, Gomes, Simkin

FIREBIRD – Boylston, Hammoudi, Boone, Stearns

Sat. Mat., June 23, 2 P.M. THE DREAM – Murphy, Hallberg, Salstein

FIREBIRD – Copeland, Cornejo, Riccetto, Zhurbin

Sat. Eve., June 23, 8 P.M. THE DREAM – Reyes, Stearns, Cornejo

FIREBIRD – Osipova, Gomes, Messmer, Hallberg

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